Tales Among Coworkers
by poeticgrace
Summary: A series of one shots featuring nontraditional pairings at Dunder Mifflin.
1. Kelly & Jim

_How come the only way to know how high you get me is to see how far I fall? God only knows how much I'd love you if you let me, but I can't break through it all._  
>- John Mayer<p>

It was almost like the past five years never happened. Kelly could erase everything that happened before Ryan got the promotion and pretend that he never broke her heart all over again. It was easier that way, never really having to deal with the harsh reality her life had become. But then she would wake up and see the empty side of a cool pillow and remember all over again how her days began and ended alone.

Jim could pretend all that too if it weren't for a pair of small hands tugging on the cuff on shirt, looking up at him with the same eyes as her mother. His daughter was the only relic of a marriage gone wrong, a heartache far too deep to ever be fully repaired. Pam was gone now, living across town in his old house while he lived in a condo a few blocks from the office. It was just like it was before they finally got together but after she broke up Roy except they had a kid. It was messy at best and totally devestating at its worst.

That kind of utter sadness could only be understood by someone who had loved their soulmate deeply and then lost them. Kelly and Jim were kindred spirits in their utter heartache and sought a comforting friendship in each other after their mutual breakups. Long nights of drinking beers at Poor Richard's had turned them into close friends. They never crossed the line in those first days, just spending hours talking and listening. Kelly had become more serious after Ryan left, maturing into this introspective woman who understood Jim. She had become his best friend.

"I don't miss him quite as much," Kelly confessed one night as she swirled what little beer was left around in its amber bottle. "I found one of his ties buried in my hamper and didn't cry this time. I consider this progress, Jim. It's a first for me."

"I'm proud," he smiled genuinely before motioning for the bartender to deliver another round. It was Pam's night to have Cici, which meant he would be spending the evening with Kelly. He only drank three beers most night, usually spread out over several hours and sprinkled with greasy appetizers. This seemed like a four beer night, though, a way to celebrate the end of another long week. "Pam and I actually had a civil conversation about the parent-teacher conference at Cici's preschool next week."

"Congratulations," she toasted him, tilting her beer in his direction before downing the rest. The bartender twisted off the cap and placed them in front of them on the bar. "Do you know if she is seeing anyone?"

Jim shrugged. "I don't really care, but I don't think so. It doesn't really matter. It's almost better if she is because then I can explainwhat happened,you know? The way things are right now, I don't know why she wanted to leave. I don't know when we stopped talking, Kel. We quit remembering how to love each other. We were just focused on work and Cici. That's all our marriage turned into that last year."

Kelly wished that she had shared as much with Ryan, but they had even less. They had never really talked, not the way that Jim and Pam had talked and certainly not the way Jim was speaking to her now. She felt like she really knew the lanky salesman. He genuinely seemed to care what she thought. He would listen to her and ask questions when appropriate and hug her when the time was right. Things were never hard with him or awkward.

"I was thinking about taking Cici to the zoo next weekend. Do you want to go with us?"

Jim's question broke her out of her thought. This was a big move for him, including anyone else in his precious alone time with his daughter. "I'd love to," she grinned happily, reaching over to pat his forearm reassuringly before leaning her head on his shoulder. "There is supposed to be a really cute exhibit with the giraffes. She'll love it."

He was happy to hear her so interested in spending time with Cici. Kelly was his friend, and he wanted for her to really know his daughter. More than that, the thing that had been sticking with him lately, he wanted his daughter to know her. Kelly had been good for him. She had lifted him up when he was stuck in that really dark place. He knew there was something more there, something that he wasn't ready for yet and something that scared him more than words. He wasn't ready to explore those feelings right now but didn't see the harm in sticking his toe back into the wading pool.

For her part, Kelly was too scared to let herself think of Jim as anything but a friend. She had loved deeply and lost greatly. Her parents were already after her to meet a nice Indian man and settle down like she should have before she turned thirty. She had not lived up to the life they had envisioned for her. She had thought she had known better when she had followed her heart, but now she had to seriously question her heart. That's why she didn't trust the feelings she was having for Jim. They were both messed up and vulnerable. The emotions probably were a result of that and nothing real. It wasn't a risk that she could take right now.

However, that didn't stop her from looking at him with dark bedroom eyes over the rim of her beer, flirting quietly without ever saying a word. It didn't stop him from staring at her darkly painted lips as she spoke, her tongue sticking to her teeth as she pronounced a word. It didn't stop her from touching him more than necessary to emphasize a point and letting her hands dwell on his warm arm long after the words have settled in the air. And it certaintly didn't stop Jim from inhaling deeply when she reached across him for a napkin, her warm spicy scent inundating all the rest of his senses.

It's the faraway look that reaction causes Jim that Kelly notices. Resting her head on her fist, she watched him for a moment before kicking him softly with her shoe. She isn't all made up anymore. The Kelly that wore hot pink and lots of glitter had been replaced with an undone version who liked quirky cardigans and Chucks. He preferred this person and suspected that this was the real her. She even wore her glasses around him now, thick black rims peaking from behind a messy ponytail.

"What's got you so gone?"

"You actually," he answered honestly. "I was thinking about you."

A pretty blush spreads over her cheeks and Jim smiles happily at the fact that he could illicit such a reaction. "Me?" she asked with surprise. "Well, thank you...I think."

"All good thoughts," he pledged before taking a long drawl of his beer. "I was thinking about how I like you like this and how I like our nights together. I was thinking about how you've become my refuge from the storm, something I couldn't have imagined a year ago when this all started. I think you just might be my best friend, Kel. That's so totally crazy but still kinda cool."

"I know what you mean," she laughed. "You're the only thing I really trust in anymore. Even at work, with them there, I don't know...It's just weird. Like, you two can be civil, but I can't even look at Ryan. I wish he would just quit. I was there first. I love my job and I'm actually pretty good at it. He doesn't even do anything but sleep in the closet. I'm just glad you put him in there in the first place. I can't imagine having to deal with him back in the annex."

"Tell me about it," he retorted. Sitting that close to Pam day after day had been hell, but Kelly had started interrupting the montonous hours with funny emails and text messages. It used to remind him of Pam in the old days until he realized that wasn't fair to Kelly or what they had. This was something different, something that was theirs. "If I haven't told you tonight, you look good."

"Mr. Halpert, are you flirting with me?"

"Maybe," he said honestly. He hadn't really thought about it when he said it. He just knew that he thought she looked nice and wanted to tell her. "I haven't been able to take my eyes off you since you got here."

Another wave of crimson made its way up her throat. "Jim."

"I know, Kel, we're friends."

It wasn't a line on him that she had used before. It was just something that they both knew. Their relationship was one that had been defined as friends and she was content to keep it as such. "Yes, we are," she confirmed, "and I really need that right now. I don't think I could take losing that, Jim. You're kind of what is getting me through."

"And what if there is more to it than that?"

"Then it will come in time," she pointed out. "This is still fresh. You're not over Pam yet anymore than I am over him. I know that there are...feelings...you know, stuff between us. I just don't think we're ready to deal with that yet."

Jim reached across the bar and clasped her hand tightly. "If all I ever got to be was your friend, that'd still be amazing, Kel," he tried to explain. "I just know that we could be something more. I'm not saying that it should be tonight or next week or even this year. I just know that we have the potential to be our own 'ever after.' I wish you could see things through my eyes, to know how you make me feel. It's real, Kel, not something that came out of circumstances. I didn't expect it, I certaintly didn't look for it,but it's there and it's not going anywhere. I know that I could love you if you'd just let me, but I don't want to have to fight my way through all these walls when you could just open the door."

Kelly turned away then, wanting to do anything but look into his eyes because she knew he'd see the truth. But Jim wouldn't have any of that and was reaching for before she knew it. His hands tangled in her hair, pulling the ponytail loose as he drew her near to him. Rather than going for the obvious kiss, Jim was content to just rest his forehead against hers. "Open the door, Kel," he pleaded softly. "Just unlock it. I'll open it for you. I promise we'll take our time. We're going to stay friends. I just need you to be open to it. I need to know that I'm not crazy here."

"You're not crazy," she relented before winding her arms around his neck. She slid off the stool easily, leaning in so that she could be closer to him. "Everything else is crazy, but you're not. I'm so scared, Jim."

"You don't have to be scared of me."

"I'm not scared of you," she confessed. "I'm scared of how you make my heart feel."

"And how's that?"

"Like maybe I should open the door because this has the potential to be everything we've both been looking for. Like maybe you've been the best thing about this last year and I can't imagine having survived it without you. Like maybe it's okay that I rely on you because you would never hurt me. Like maybe I am starting to fall in love with you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good feelings," he confirmed. "Very good feelings."

"Scary feelings,"she countered. "Absolutely terrifying."

"Yeah but isn't it worth it?"

"I'm not entire sure yet, but I'm willing to find out."

Jim's eyes went wide as he hugged her tightly then, knowing that she had handed him the key so that he could unlock the door would still be times when she would close it in his face, this loud slam that only became necessary when she felt like she needed to protect herself. There would also be times when she would throw it open so that it could flap in the wind, letting all those feelings rush right in. In time, they would strike a perfect balance. It was the beginning of something that went beyond friendship and right to heart of it all.


	2. Angela & Kevin

_You sound so innocent, all full of good intent. You swear you know best, but you expect me to jump on board with you, ride off into your dellusional sunset._

Sara Bareilles

Kevin found Angela sitting in the stairwell at exactly 2:37 p.m. on an otherwise mundane and quiet Tuesday afternoon. His whole purpose for being out of the office was to retrieve the new package of M&Ms from his car that he picked up over lunch. Instead, he ended up with a sobbing blonde midget with her head in his lap, saying too-big words at a too-high octave. It was far from what he was used to dealing with when it came to Angela and much too close for either of their comfort.

"An-an-and then he told me that he thought that he was a homosexual," Angela explained, tears streaking mascara down her porcelain face. Her usually pristine appearance was rumpled and wrinkled from hours of crying. "Can you believe that, Kevin? He's gay! Of course, I went right to church to pray for his soul and my ability to forgive him for such a betrayal. But I am so humiliated! My boyfriend, the _Senator_, is gaaaay."

The last word is elongated as she started to sob again, burying her small face in her small hands. The only thing Kevin could see when he looked down was her corn-blonde hair and her shaking shoulders. Kevin was usually the last person that Angela would turn to for comfort, though he did suspect sometimes that she cared about him on some level. Still, she mostly thought he was dumb and useless and had no trouble treating him as such. Yet, there she was, falling apart in his lap and waiting for the magic words of widsom that would make all this make sense.

Kevin didn't have the heart to tell her that they had long suspected that perhaps her beloved state senator was far from straight and that Oscar had even thought about starting a pool that predicted the date Angela would figure it out. However, in her strangely innocent way, Angela had been incapable of believing "such a thing" about someone that she appeared to love quite a bit. The Senator had been good on her, bestowing her with generous gifts and doting on her in public. She made the perfect beard really, with her polite manner, active volunteerism and overall goodness in the eyes of the community.

"I'm sorry, Angela," he finally drawled, each syllable coming out as slowly as the last. Angela peered up at him with wet eyes and scowled, indicating that his response was far from sufficient. Kevin searched his mind for something, anything, that could make her feel better. "His loss is someone else's gain."

"Whose, Kevin?" she cried. Angela had loved and lost a lot over the past few years. There had been her not-so-secret relationship with Dwight that ended with a defunct child-rearing agreement. Andy had proposed to her and planned the perfect life with her at Celebration Disney, only to find out she had been cheating on her entire time with the beet farmer. Other than her crush on Charles, it wasn't really until she met the Senator that she got excited about dating again.

He had seemed perfect for her on every level. He was in the public eye, so that carried some level of prestige and decorum with it. He went to church every Sunday morning with his mother and was an active philanthropist. He understood her values and beliefs, so he never pressured her for affection or sex. There was a respect between them that she had never shared with anyone before. In her own way, Angela had loved him very much. None of that mattered though because, as it turned out, he was gay.

"I've always wanted to have a pair of well-behaved little boys. I imagined that they would have my soft blonde hair and the Senator's bone structure. We would have had very lovely children, don't you think?" she asked Kevin rhetorically. Her tears were starting to dry up a little as she shifted out of his lap and back to her side of the staircase. "I just don't understand what went wrong. I had this life planned out for myself. I even have all the cats that I dreamed of having when I was a little girl. I'm just missing the husband."

Kevin knew that he was walking a fine line here and one false step could send her back into a rage of tears. "I think those are very nice dreams, Angela," he told her, "but sometimes life doesn't turn out the way we planned. Like, it's good to have all these intentions, but that's just not the way things go. Not everyone is like you, even if you think they should be."

"I know that, Kevin," she barked automatically before softening her tone. "I'm sorry, that wasn't fair. I just think that...I don't know what to think. How did I not see it?"

He smiled genuinely then and shook his head. "Honestly, I do not know." Each word came out with that same sly, funny, slow tone that tinged nearly everything he said. It was what kept him out of trouble with most people and probably annoyed Angela the most. It was also what endeared to her sometimes when she allowed her softer side to shine through. "It was kind of obvious."

"Was it?"

"Yeah, totally," he confirmed with a wide grin. "At least you got a sparkly engagement ring..."

Angela looked down at her hand and inspected the sizable ring. "Yes, well there is that."

Kevin's stomach rumbled and he remembered his forgotten candy. "Are you okay now?"

"Yes," she said, gathering herself before standing up. She smoothed a wrinkle in her skirt and readjusted the collarof her crisp white shirt. Kevin handed her a mostly dry napkin from his pocket so that she could fix her makeup. "Um, well, thank you."

He smiled at her. He could hold this over her head or remind her that she owed him one, but really, that wouldn't be Kevin's style. Instead, he nodded quietly and smiled that big grin before watching her go back upstairs and into the office. Turning on his scuffed heel, he shrugged and reminded himself that Angela would be okay. He had candy to worry about now.


	3. Ryan & Erin

_This is different than I thought. Six different ways inside my heart and everyone I'll keep tonight. Six different ways to go deep inside._

- The Cure

Whether you were a foster kid abandoned before the age of three or a spoiled rich kid who grew up entitled but unnoticed his entire life, learning to love the right way could be a tricky thing. For the former, you often found yourself clinging to false relationships in hopes of just creating a sense of security for yourself. You were willing to believe anyone that attached an "I love you" to the end of a sentiment, even if it rang untrue from the jump. For the former, you knew that you were never going to be as important as the next big social event, the next big deal, the next big paycheck. You were a commodity to be had, paraded in front of business associates and flashing cameras when it was important to present a united family front. Either way, you were an inconvenience, never felt all that special and mostly just got in the way.

And perhaps that is what drew Ryan to Erin in the first place, this weird sense of kindred spirit he feels whenever he finds her sitting alone at lunch one day in the break room. He's been single for something like three years now, ever since Kelly met a nice Indian lawyer on a yoga retreat in Phildadelphia and moved to the West Coast to pursue her newfound dreams of becoming a Bollywood actress. She never talks to anyone from Dunder Mifflin anymore, not even Erin would had been her best friend. It was almost like she never existed most of the time, except for those occasional moments where he would find a random photograph or some other relic of their relationship.

On a whim, Ryan strikes up a conversation with Erin about her lunch – bagel chips, string cheese and a brownie. They end up eating lunch together every day for the next weeks before he finally asks her if they should try their conversation out in the dark. They have dinner the next evening and strike up a nice pattern of casual dates around Scranton. Ryan is hungry to take things to the next level, but Erin seems perfectly happy just to hang out and have fun with him. It's an easy relationship, a far cry from what he used to , and he finds that he is actually happy to have a girlfriend for the first time in his life.

Somewhere around the two-month mark, Ryan wakes up next to Erin after falling asleep on her couch watching a late-night movie on cable. He watches her doze lightly for a moment and feels an unfamiliar twist of something real in his stomach. This is what would have sent him running in the opposite direction in the old days but convinced him to stick around this time. When she wakes up and greets him with a kiss, Ryan is sure that Erin is something real for him and asks her to finally be his girlfriend exclusively. She agrees with a sweet smile before padding off to her kitchen to make them both pancakes. Erin is really good at making breakfast.

When they have officially been together for three months, Ryan takes her to a nice restaurant in Philadelphia to celebrate their anniversary. Erin confides that it's the nicest place she has ever eaten, even nicer than the fancy country club Andy took her to when they dated all those summers ago. She looks pretty in her olive green dress and they dance until the restaurant closes down and then spend the last hours before dawn walking around the city. Just as the sun peaked its head over the horizon, they settle down in Franklin Square with two cups of coffee and a muffin. Then Ryan takes her hand and tells her that he loves her, and it all seems too perfect.

It takes another few weeks before the reality of everything sets in for Ryan. He finds a few of her shirts in his laundry, a bottle of perfume in bathroom, a stack of books on his night stand. There are traces of her everywhere in his apartment. Then she starts buying groceries to keep there and doesn't ask before changing the radio in his car, and he feels like it's just too much at once. In her usual way, Erin is comfortable around Ryan. She is used to adapting to other people and their patterns, just glad to find some consistency in her otherwise turbulent life. The whole situation has the opposite effect on Ryan, causing him to ask her if maybe they should take a break. This sets of the warning bells in Erin's head, and her guards are instantly back up. Those are walls that no one can penetrate, not even the man who claimed to love her so much. They find themselves at an impasse.

"Erin, please just talked to me," he begs her one evening as they sit in the break room, her pretending not to notice him while she ate her yogurt over the comics page and Ryan staring at her pleadingly while consuming his fifth cup of java for the day. "We need to figure this out. I miss you."

"You were the one who wanted to take a break, Ryan," she reminds him carefully, never once lifting her eyes from the latest antics of Marmaduke. "I am just giving you the space you said you needed."

He wants to roll his eyes at the dramatics of the whole situation but thinks twice about it when she turns the page to read the wedding announcements. "Erin, please," he repeats, and he knows how pathetic his voice sounds. Erin looks up at and shakes her head sadly before placing her spoon carefully down on the table. Ryan considers it progress.

Erin gets up and closes the door to the room to give them a little bit of privacy, something that is still hard to come by at Dunder Mifflin. Once she is safely back in her seat, she rests her elbows on the tables and looks at him earnestly. "It took me a very long time to learn to trust people," she tells him. "My mom abandoned us when I was three, just in time for me to develop a chronic kidney disease and get shuttled off to a foster home. No one wants to adopt a sick kid, Ryan. I was undesirable. Do you know what that does to a person? It gives them issues a mile wide, things that have plagued me my entire life. I know I come off as naïve and innocent, but underneath that all, you know what I'm really like. You knew all that and you still told me that you loved me."

Ryan listens to her intently, taking each word and how hard it is for her to say these things. "I know," he relents, burying his face in his hands. "I do love you, Erin. I love you in the best way that I know how, but it always feels like it's not enough. I can't believe that you won't leave. People always leave. My parents never cared enough to stick around for long unless they needed something from me. Even when I was in recovery, my mom only showed up because it was the thing to do – to make an appearance of caring. She would never talk to me when she'd bring me to work. She'd only shake her head in sad disappointment when she left me at the curb."

"Are you kidding me, Ryan Howard?" she demands incredulously. She couldn't believe the audacity of his "poor me" attitude. He had no idea what it was like to be left behind. "At least you had a home! I had nothing, nada, zilch. I was on my own, in and out of hospitals where people never even bothered to learn my name. I was always 'that sick girl' or 'the skinny little redhead' or just 'hey you.' If I could overcome all of that and still trust you, I am pretty sure you can suck up your insecurities and just live up to your word."

No woman has ever challenged him to be more than the minimum before. Considering that most of his serious relationships consist of Kelly, it's safe to say that he has never held a girl in high enough esteem to worry about he loved her. With Kelly, he just knew that he loved her on some level and that was good enough for them both. Erin expects him to love her the right way, to know what that means and just how far that love goes.

"And if I say that I can do that? If I promise you that I am going to work on learning to love you fully, without condition, what happens then?" he asks. He needs concrete answers, a way to reassure himself that he's not just setting himself up for heartbreak. "Are you going to be able to trust me then?"

She shakes her head and smiles knowingly. "Even now, despite all this, I trust you. I know that it was fear talking to me that night, not honest emotions from your heart. I'm just waiting for you to figure out which voice you are going to listen to? I don't know if you can drown out those insecurities, Ryan. I hope…oh, do I hope. I'm just waiting for you to tell me."

"The hope," he promises. "Not the fear."

"Very good then," she replies before leaning across the table and kissing his cheek once, chastely. "There are rules to this, Ryan. You have to let me in. I won't fight for my place. I shouldn't have to, not anymore. If you are going to love me, just love me. Don't make me ask for it. I won't do it, not again."

"I do," he vows with a happy smile. "I will. Always, I will."


	4. Holly & Andy

_Oh, chariot, your golden waves are walking down upon this face. Oh, chariot, I'm singing out loud to guide me, give me your strength._

_- Gavin DeGraw_

The first thing he noticed about her was her blonde hair – a sharp, perfect bob with the ends skirting across the collar of her stark white button-up shirt and slate-grey suit jacket. Andy Bernard was captivated by Holly Flax from the first moment she stepped into the office to take over as the human resources manager when Toby left for Costa Rica. She was funny in a very quiet way, never afraid to be a little goofy but mostly just concerned with fitting in and doing a good job. He thinks that she's nice and appreciates when she takes such an avid interest in Kevin and is happy when she accepts his lunch invitation on her second day in the office.

The two of them became fast friends, and Holly considers him the first real pal she has had in years. He shows her around Scranton and introduces her to people, while she helps him redecorate his apartment and plan his parents' 50th anniversary party. They take cooking lessons together and even spend a weekend at the Cape with a group of people Andy knows from Cornell. Holly fits in quite nicely with everyone, getting along famously with the girls and knocking back drinks with the boys. Their friendship is dependable and steady, a far cry from the romance Andy still envisions but close enough for comfort.

However, when Andy gets a phone call in the middle of the night, it sends him across town in the middle of the night so he can hold vigil in a hospital waiting room. With her family in Colorado, there is no one there waiting with him to see if she will wake up. He thinks about calling Angela, figuring that Holly could use a prayer, but feels it would be awkward to have a former flame there with him. He instead settles on Jim and Pam because they're good enough people that they will care, and a yawning Pam shows up awhile later to sit with him.

When the surgeon finally comes out, he explains to Andy that Holly fell down the stairs at her apartment building. He finds out that she has had an aneurysm, this unexplainable little hiccup in her brain that was just enough to turn everything inside out. Andy is shaken as Pam takes away his phone so that she can start calling Holly's family. Her mother asks to speak with Andy but he can't form any words. Pam only has to tell the older woman that he is sitting with Holly, watching over her until the family can get there.

Holly's family arrives early the next morning, exhausted beyond belief but just happy to be near their little girl. Andy holds Holly's mom longer than necessary, wishing for his own mother suddenly and knowing that she is the only one who can understand what it feels like to be this scared. The woman cries a little and then pats his back when she pulls away. She reminds Andy that her daughter is strong and will get through this. Twelve long hours later, Holly's eyes open and she proves her mother right once again.

The first word out of her mouth is Andy's name, and he is at her bedside in an instant. Her eyes light up when she sees him, these tiny little silver tears forming in the corners before finding their way down her flushed cheeks. He is never too far away for the rest of the day except when the doctors whisk her away for tests. It will require surgery, she's lucky to be alive and so well – they hear it all and nod obediently while knowing that all of this is obvious.

When she is done with her final test and the doctors urge her to get some rest, Holly quietly asks her family to give her some time alone with Andy so that they can talk. Her mother can't explain the relationship between the two to her father. They sit together on a bench outside their daughter's room and wait for Andy to come out so that they can say goodbye. One minute turns into two, and before they know it, a full half-hour has passed. Her father is tired from flying all night, and when his yawning becomes doubled, her mother finally slips into the room to see if the coast is clear. Her heart flutters with motherly amusement and pride when she finds the two of them asleep, their hands entwined together on the mattress as Andy slept propped up in a chair next to her and Holly seemed comfortable in her bed. After placing gentle kisses on each of their heads', she gathers up her husband and heads back to the hotel for the night. Her Holly will be fine for now, she has her guardian angel.

Andy picks them up from the hotel the next morning, the hour far too early but necessary as Holly will be going into surgery soon. Her parents go in first and wish their daughter the best, reminding her that they won't be too far and that they love her very much. Jim and Pam stop over to see the patient. She is happy to see her friends. But it's Andy that she is waiting for, Andy who she spots first in the crowd. Once again, Holly asks for a moment alone with the salesman, but this time, her mother doesn't let the door close completely as she waits in the corridor.

"Andy, I just want you to know that I do love you very much and I am glad that you told me that you loved me last night. When I was asleep, after I fell, you were what was keeping me here. You were what convinced me to come back. I saw you so clearly, with your twinkling eyes and kind smile. Can you smile at me like that now so that I can carry it with me? That's it, that's the one. I will carry you with me in there and long after these moments are gone."

It's poetic and beautiful, and Holly's mom can hear the choked up sobs that the two exchange as the doctors come in to take her away. Andy holds her hand as they walk down the hallway until she goes into the operating room. He holds her mother's hand after that, listening to stories about when she was a child and offering up a few tales of his own. The hours pass and neither of them say aloud what they are both wondering – _what is taking so long?_ Finally, a masked man comes out with downtrodden eyes and she knows that the news isn't good.

Five days later, Andy flies into an overcrowded Denver airport and rents a small black car. He has only a small bag with a single suit and another set of clothes for his return trip home. He stops at a florist on his way and buys out the entire store's inventory of white and red roses. He spots her through a crowd, with that same gorgeous blonde hair shining like a halo, and he is reminded of what caught his attention all those weeks ago.

He makes his way through the line to her parents and hugs them both tightly before placing each of the flowers at the altar. This is his goodbye to his golden goddess, a final curtain call for the greatest romance that almost was. He loves this girl and knows with absolutely certainty that he always will. It's a sad day to say the least, the worst day ever to say the most.

The service is nice and quick, but the procession of cars to the cemetery is long. Andy tries not to sweat in his expensive suit and wipes tears away with the back of his hand. He doesn't talk to anyone but stands stoically, dutifully, next to her mother. No one understands like them. No one could.

Afterward, everyone heads back to her parents house for a nice dinner, but Andy seeks refuge in the quietest corner of the backyard. Holly's mom does her best to entertain the endless lines of guests but eventually finds herself in need of peace. Slipping out into the cool night, she spots Andy sitting alone on the bench beneath Holly's favorite sycamore tree and walks out to join him. Taking his hand as she sits down, she turns to Andy and gives him the only gift that she could.

"Andy, my daughter loved you very much, and I am glad that you loved her back. When she fell, you were the strength that gave her those final hours with us. You were what convinced her to come back here, to come back to us. Your eyes, your smile, they guided her back home. She carries that with her now, just as I know that you carry her. She will be with you always, never forget that much, my dear."

Andy flies home to Scranton two days later and misses her terribly. There are traces of her all over his life, these tiny footprints she left behind of a love that truly just _was_. And that's what he carries with him, the warmth in his heart that he gets when he remembers her. She was his golden goddess, the one that gave him strength, the one that guided him home.


	5. Michael & Pam

_I want to pull away when the dream dies. The pain sets in and I don't cry. I only feel gravity and I wonder why._

_- Nelly Furtado_

Pam waved goodbye to her daughter from the car and pulled away, leaving the house that she once shared with Jim far behind in her rearview mirror. It had been her decision to ask for a divorce and her decision to leave the house. It had been his parents' house before it was theirs, and it wouldn't be fair for her to take it from him. Maybe if he had cheated or they'd ended bitterly, things would be different. However, their split had been surprisingly amicable. They had simply stopped loving each other, and Pam refused to settle for anything other than a loving marriage.

She still tried to figure out how they ended up there. Their courtship had been long and fulfilling, built upon years of friendship and then true romance. Pam still cared about Jim, both as a friend and as the father of her child. He was a good man and an even better dad. He never failed Pam, not once, and he had bestowed that same gracious patience on their daughter. Having Cici to focus on made the divorce easier to deal with in some regards, but a wave of depression had easily convinced Pam that she could use some help.

Her mother had gone through something similar when she had split from Pam's father. While her father had been more outspoken about the growing pains of divorce, Pam's mother had embraced her wild streak after the split. It wasn't until after she had ended things with Michael that reality set in, and she had learned what it was like to be truly single for the first time in forty years. Having seen that, Pam knew that she needed to seek some kind of counseling when she started to show some of the same symptoms as her mother.

That's what leads Pam to park her car in the parking lot of the Methodist Church on Linden Ave, just a few blocks from Cici's primary school and next to her favorite yogurt shop. They have the support group in the basement, a handful of people too poor or too ashamed to take their problems to the confines of a professional office. Some of them just want support, to know that there is someone who feels like they do. Others are there by court order, trying to get counseling so that they can settle arbitration on a nasty split.

She is surprised to see him there, sitting quietly in the front row with a Styrofoam cup of coffee in his hands. There is a noticeable white band where his wedding ring used to be, a sure-tell sign of a recent divorce. Holly was back in Denver still, living with her mother while she figured out what to do next. When the latest acting manager had been transferred to Nashua, the company heads had invited Michael back to retake the reins at Dunder Mifflin – Scranton. It had been surprisingly nice to see Michael's face around the office again and even nicer to see it now.

"Hey, Michael," she greeted him softly as she slipped into the chair next to him, electing to forego coffee for the bottle of water she had stowed in her oversized tote bag. He smiled sadly at her and nodded before draining the rest of his coffee. He was quieter than he used to be, a pale imitation of the vivacious leader that had cheered not-so-quietly for her and Jim once upon a time.

Holly had broken his heart when she cheated. It had been the near the end of her dad's life, and Holly had grown undeniably close to his lead doctor. It was the last thing anyone expected, but when Toby suddenly announced one day that Michael would be returning to the office the next week, they all started to theorize about what happened. The story eventually came out in bits and pieces, mostly when he'd had too many drinks at Poor Richard's. This was a new venue for him, a place to tell his stories. Pam had never seen him at the church before. It should be interesting.

Just as he was about to finally say something to her, an older woman she recognized as the usual facilitator clapped her hands and asked everyone to take her seats. For the next forty-five minutes, they each told their sad stories. An older man who was new to the group talked about how his successful wife got tired of him staying at home, even though they'd decided together years ago that he would be a stay-at-home father. Another woman talked about her husband had left her for a younger woman. Pam talked about falling out of love with her supposed soulmate, while Michael finally told his story in its entirity. She'd never heard about him actually catching Holly and the doctor in the act.

When they finally broke for their usual mid-session coffee break, Pam wasn't surprised to see Michael head outside. The first time was always strange and somewhat stressful for the newcomers. She hadn't even spoken the first two weeks. "Hey again," she greeted him as she sat down next to him on the stoop. This time he looked over and smiled a little more happily. "You did good in there, sharing like that."

"Yeah, well, there's that," he allowed before looking up at Pam. "Sorry, I know I'm a little weird. I just never thought I'd be here, not with Holly. With Jan, sure, we were a wreck. I still loved her, but there was no way that was going to last. Holly and I were soulmates. She was the first person to really understand me, you know?"

Pam thought about Jim and those precious years when she was still with Roy. His friendship had meant everything to her, and when they finally got things right, she never thought that there would be anything that tore them apart. "I do," she confirmed. "Jim was my best friend. I miss that more than I miss anything else."

Michael nodded knowingly. "That comfort of just having someone, it's irreplacable," he agreed. For a man that had spent most of his life alone, it was sad to see him lose someone that meant everything to him. "How are you doing, Pam? I know that things have been a little tense, but you seem to be holding up pretty well. How about Cici?"

Pam smiled at the mention of her daughter. "She doesn't really understand what is going on, just that she gets to decorate a whole new bedroom. Jim does a really good job of making sure that he is around for her. We have made her our first priority just like before," she told him. "And me...well, this helps. I miss him. It's hard not to miss him, but it's the way things need to be for now."

"That's all you can do sometimes, one day at a time. One foot in front of another, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Just then, the facilitator appeared to wave everyone back into the room. "Well, we should get back in there, huh?" Michael asked, nodding toward the church. "I'll see you in there."

Pam followed Michael back into the church and took her seat. Week after week, she kept coming back there to tell her story and then to hear his. It helped her more than she could ever say, and eventually, it wasn't so hard to see Jim happy when she picked up or dropped off Cici. She was glad for him. More than anything, it just helped knowing that she had Michael to understand. It was nice to finally have someone in her corner.


	6. Toby & Karen

_I still have stars in my eyes, bright glittered stars in my eyes. I still do, but I wonder about you. Do you still see in my eyes?_

_- Leigh Nash_

"You're heartless."

Toby Flenderson was this quiet unassuming man who loved his daughter, wore brown suits and lived vicariously through characters in his favorite books. He paid his bills on time, tipped generously and never cheated on his taxes. He was consistently described as even-tempered, fair and well-mannered. All in all, he was a good person, and that's why it threw him off when his now ex-girlfriend called him heartless, tears flowing down her face, as she packed up the last of her things from his apartment.

"Karen, please," he pleaded. Sasha was a teenager now, so it was silly of him to use his daughter as an excuse. The truth was that he loved Karen, absolutely adored her. He hadn't felt this way about any woman since Pam and then his ex-wife before that. However, just as he had missed his chance at true happiness with those two, he was determined to get Karen out of his life before she could burn him. "I meant what I said. This is for your own good. I don't want to hurt you. I just know that one day you will wake up and realize what I already know – that I'm not good enough for you."

The sad thing was that it wasn't even a lie. He truly believed those words. He wasn't even closed to being good enough for Karen. She was this statuesque beauty with a cutting wit, undeniable itelligence and unmatched sex appeal. The only thing he had to question was her taste. When she had asked him out – yes, she had asked him out first – he couldn't believe his own luck. Toby figured it was a pity date or maybe because she was bored. Six months later, he had come to realize that Karen genuinely cared about him, and he was deeply in love with her.

"Don't say please to be, Toby," she barked angrily as she threw various pieces of expensive lingerie into an oversized duffel bag. Her silky hair flew around her face as she whirled around and stared at him coldly. "It didn't have to be like this. You made it like this. I was perfectly happy loving you just the way you were. I never had a problem with these perceived shortcomings that only exist in your head. I told you weeks ago that you were the one thing in my life I hadn't managed to mess up. Things in Stamford, Jim, my marriage – I messed all of that up on my own. I didn't need you to destroy my heart for me."

Toby hung his head in shame. As much as he wanted to pretend that he did this for her, his reasons were mostly purely selfish. He cared about Karne too much, and every time he let himself feel like that, he ended up alone. He couldn't stand the thought of them going out like that. "That's the last thing I wanted to do," he confessesd honestly, and she knew then that he meant it. "I don't want to break your heart for anything, Karen. I just don't want either of us to end up more hurt than we already are. It's only get harder the deeper we fall."

Karen met his wavering gaze in the large mirror that hung over the dresser. Tears glittered in her dark eyes, piercing Toby's heart like a thousand little daggers. "Who says that we have to end up like that?" she asked softly before sitting down on the edge of the mattress. Toby dropped his hands to his sides uselessly. "Why do you have to write our death warrant before the verdict has come in? It's possible that we could be the exception, Tobes, not the rule. What if we have the stuff to go the distance? Don't we owe it to ourselves to find out?"

He walked over and joined her on the bed, the mattress dipping slightly with his weight. They didn't look at each other as they sat side by side. Toby reached for her hand and entangled their fingers in such a way that they were fused into one being. "Kare..." His sad voice trailed off. She usually liked his Droopy Dog demeanor because that was him but right now, it was only irking her that much more. She always used to think that was just who he was at the office, maybe because of Michael, but that slow and gentle way was a very real part of Toby. He was also honest and caring, warm and understanding. He made her laugh with his dry wit and made her body tingle with his gentle kisses. "Kare, what if that's not what we find? I can't stand the thought of you hating me."

"I could never, _would never_, hate you," she vowed confidently. "The only thing I can imagine doing for the rest of my life is love you. Just give me a chance to prove it to you. Don't push me away. I love you, I love your daughter, I love the life I am starting to build with you. None of that works if we're not together. Is that really and truly what you want? If you say it is, that you don't want to be with me, I'll walk away right now."

Toby rubbed his free hand over his head self-consciously. "You know that I can't lie to you."

"So tell me the truth."

"The truth is," he said, "the truth is that of course I love you. I love being with you. I don't want to lose you, but I also don't want to end up hurt. I don't want to hurt you. Look at our track records, Kare. We have hurt and been hurt. If we stay together, what happens if we end up not even being able to stay friends? I can't imagine a world without you in it."

"So don't," she said simply. "It's really that easy. You don't want to lose me? Then don't break up with me. Stay with me. Be the man that we both know you are and commit to staying with me."

Meeting her gaze once again in the mirror, he was relieved to see that the tears were gone, only to be replaced with a hopeful smile. It was the same smile she'd worn the night of their first date when he'd walked her to her front door and kissed her nice and slow beneath the amber porch light. It was the same smile she'd displayed when she met Sasha for the first time, nervously handing over a leather sketchbook she'd picked up in Manhattan. It was the same smile she had when he told her that he loved her for the first time right before she said that she loved him back.

"I want to stay."

Karen threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, thank God," she whispered into his ear before burying her face into his shoulder. Toby slipped his arms around her frame and realized that she was crying. Tears soon found their way to his own face, causing both of them to laugh sheepishly. Karen reached up to wipe his tears away just as he brushed hers away with his thumb.

Maybe he still had a heart after all.


	7. Dwight & Jan

_No, it's not like any other love. This one is different because it is us._

- The Smiths

It started with a roadmap, a Polaroid and handwritten note telling her to meet him at the first destination circled on the map. Jan had never been on a date like this, let alone a first date. The last thing she had wanted to do was go out with Dwight, but she had lost a bet. Like any good gambler, she knew the importance of paying up when she had been had. A small wager on a Phillies game with Jim had led her here, waiting in the middle of McDade Park in Scranton for a slightly deranged beet farmer with a love for bears. She suddenly regretted replacing Michael as the manager at Dunder Mifflin.

She turned the photograph over in her hands, inspecting the faded image of the massive black rock that stood behind her. Dwight had written the address of the park on it with Sharpie, his crisp scrawl instantly recognizable. He had also circled the park on the map with the same bold swoop of a circle. It was certainly an interesting way to handle this part of the deal. She still wasn't sure why Dwight had agreed to Jim's terms for the bet, not that it really mattered.

"Excuse me, miss," a uniformed man announced before handing her a small paper bag off a silver platter. She recognized the farmer-turned-miner as Cousin Mose, a relic from her one misguided visit to Schrute Farms when she was still trying to make things work with Michael. "Master Schrute asked me to deliver this to you post haste. Please accept it and follow his directions accordingly." Jan peered into the bag and then looked up at Mose. He simply shrugged before tipping his hart hat in her direction. "Good day.'

The whole ridiculousness of the situation seemed strange to Jan, even when it came to the already-odd paper salesman. She opened the bag to find a single beet and another Polaroid. The directions were written on the vegetable this time, telling her to meet him at the address on the next photograph. Jan looked at the picture and tried to figure out where it was. She recognized it finally as the old locomotive that sat outside the Steamtown National Historic Site.

By the time she arrived at the downtown monument, it was already an hour into her allotted time with Dwight. She searched around the crowd for him but was disgruntled not to find him. She slipped inside a building to look around in there for him to no avail. Finally, she spotted Mose walking her way, this time dressed head to toe as an engineer. Jan cracked a small smile and shook her head as he approached. This was just beyond.

"Nice to see you again, miss," he greeted her with a strange Southern accent. Jan nodded and gestured toward the burlap bag he was carrying under his arm. "Oh, yes, this is for you. Mister Schrute asked me to kindly deliver this to you. You should follow those directions and move along."

Jan was too busy with her bag that she didn't even notice when Mose left. This bag contained another Polaroid along with a stuffed brown bear holding an index card that read only, "Forge ahead." Tucking the bear into the bag with the rest of her souvenirs, she tried to decipher the object in the third photo. It was a magic wand and top hat, indicating that he was at some magic shop. When she looked up the address scrawled on the bottom of the map, it directed her toward the Houdini Museum on North Main.

She wasn't surprised not to find him this time. The fee to get into the museum was minimal, so she paid the fair and looked around for a few minutes, waiting for her next delivery to appear. Just as she was taking in a small memorabilia exhibit, a caped Mose appeared at her side. "Abracadabra!" he announced grandly, waving his cape more like a vampire than a magician. "Make the next clue appear!" With an intricate wave of his left hand and a not-so-sly slide of his right one, Mose produced a small box. "Voila!"

People around Jan clapped, thinking that it was all just part of the show. Jan smiled nervously at the crowd before taking the box from Magician Mose. Pulling away the white satin ribbon, she thanked him dismissively before gazing down at her next clue. This clue was a little more complex with its various miniature figures from some show or movie that she didn't recognize. A simple question to a clearly nerdy teenager revealed that it pertained to something called _Battlestar Galactica. _The Polaroid of the vintage streetcar pointed her toward the Trolley Museum.

Fifteen short minutes later, Jan had parked her car yet again in a parking lot and set off in search of Mose. She found him easily this time. He was waiting for her on a bench near the entrance, pushing a small silver trolley along the edge. "Hi, Mose," she said softly before sitting down next to him. Mose smiled in her direction but didn't stop playing with the car. "What do you have for me?"

Mose reached into his pocket and produced a postcard made to look like an old ticket. Dwight had written on the back that she should take the trolley with her and proceed onto the final destination. When she asked Mose for the toy, he handed it over and gave her the last Polaroid in the series. This one was of a sign.

"Well, that is certainly curious."

Mose shrugged. "He's waiting for you there."

Jan thanked him before heading toward her car. Her patience was still present but worn thin. And yet, she was excited to find out what was next on this impromptu scavenger hunt. She headed toward the address pinpointed on her picture, a place not all that unfamiliar to her. Dwight was standing outside waiting for her when she arrived.

"Hello, Jan."

"Dwight," she exhaled, still holding the burlap bag of souvenirs in her hand. "After all that, you brought me back to the office?"

"Well, I figured that I could play this two ways. I could take you on an awkward date that you would never enjoy or I could make your time fun for you. You held up your end of the bet with Jim. I didn't think it was fair that you be forced to spend that time with me," he explained. A small, mischievous smile played on his usually stoic face. "Now then, since that is through, you have a choice to make. Our date can be over, you can fulfill your commitment to Jim and move on with your life. _Or_ you can go on an actual date with me and have fun. The choice is yours."

Jan knew that this was her chance to escape. Dwight was right; she had lived up to her end of the bargain with Halpert. However, she was intrigued what he could possibly have planned next. If nothing else, he had been creative and even, well, nice about taking part in their bet. She had gambled once and lost, but her luck was bound to change. Why not roll the dice one last time?

"Alright, I'm in," she decided quickly before she changed her mind.

Dwight chuckled appreciatively before handing over one more package. "You win this, then!"

Jan tore away the paper and inspected the tube. "Paintballs?"

"You still in?" he asked before pulling off his overcoat to reveal camouflage fatigues.

"I've come this far," she laughed before taking the oversized shirt in his outstretched hand. "Why not?"

Dwight outshot Jan that day by a wide margin, but she was able to get a few hits in here and there. He had to respect the way that she never gave up, and she had to admit that she had way more fun than she would have ever thought. Later, when she told Jim about the whole thing before going into a sales meeting , he shook his head in disbelief; it was hard to imagine the two of them having that much fun. And yet, a year later when Dwight bent on one knee and proposed to her in the middle of his beet farm, the two of them defied all the laws of ration. Some things were just meant to be.


	8. Phyllis & Stanley

_Hey, you, you're my constant companion. You always let me explain just what I'm sayin', and we've just begun._

_- 311_

"What's for lunch today?"

Phyllis looked over the edge of her monitor and smiled kindly at Stanley. Every day for the past fifteen years, her day had started with a question from him. They were the elder statesmen of Dunder Mifflin, the wise figures who had taken on a parental role in the office. As much as he tried to stay out of things, Stanley's caring side would slip through every once and awhile. Just last week, he had comforted a sobbing Kelly when she had been traumatized about the results of _So You Think You Can Dance_. When Phyllis had walked in on them in the break room, he had rolled his eyes and shrugged helplessly. He had a daughter; it was what fathers did.

"Turkey sandwich on rye with pretzels and a cookie," she answered. "Same as yesterday. We trading?"

"Yeah," he replied before looking back down at the spreadsheet. His wife was all over his diet this month, meaning that she packed his lunch full of raw vegetables. Phyllis didn't mind the lettuce and celery and often agreed to switch. She also sometimes packed extra cookies or a diet soda for him as a treat. It wasn't that he liked lying to his wife. He was just an adult. "Did you get the email from Dwight?"

Phyllis snorted and shook her head. "Yeah, ridiculous," she muttered. Andy looked up at the two of them hopefully, wanting to be included in the conversation. When Stanley caught on, he averted his gaze back toward his computer. "Like I am going to listen to him."

Stanley chuckled happily, his dark eyes sparkling. No matter what was going on or how everyone thought he felt, they were always on the same side. He figured that it came in handy whenever Andy decided that he wanted to impress Dwight or Jim. At least he always had one person in his corner, a partner in crime he could count on disagree with them for the sake of maintaining some semblance of fairness.

"I got some new leads from that Chamber group my wife has been meeting with. I thought I might give you a few of the names to generate some business," he offered without looking up from the keyboard. Phyllis had shared her list with last week after Bob Vance had gone through his contacts for her. "Just don't give any to Buckethead over there."

Phyllis glanced over her shoulder and glanced at Dwight. The last person she planned on helping was him. He was a poacher, forever looking for a way to snipe a minor client here and there. It didn't seem like much at the time but added up to quite a bit over time. "Got it," she agreed. "Say, did you see that Poor Richard's is having a wine tasting next week? I thought you might like to go."

Everyone in the office knew that Stanley enjoyed his nightly glass of red wine. It was one of the few things that got him through the day. "Thanks, I'll have to find out the details," he drawled slowly. He scanned his inbox and saw a few messages of relevant importance. Phyllis was always reminding him of little events and dates, proving to be the perfect version of a work wife. He didn't really dislike her as much as he sometimes let on. Phyllis was actually pretty good people.

"You're welcome," she said politely before starting her first round of phone calls for the day.

Some time later, Phyllis took a break and then returned to her desk with the day's newspaper. Without asking, she instantly removed the crossword page and slid it across her desk to Stanley. He nodded without missing a beat on the phone call, a silent way of thanking her like they did every day. Phyllis waved her had dismissively back before getting back to the messages waiting in her email. It wasn't some big deal, just another small routine thing they did.

An hour or so before lunch, Stanley brought Phyllis was he knew would be her last cup of coffee for the day. She always stopped before she ate her noon meal, and he typically would bring it to her when he went to the bathroom at 11. It was just another mundane detail that had been repeated every day for fifteen years as they sat across from each other. She glanced up at him with a smile and mouthed her thanks before refocusing on the customer complaint.

At exactly noon, Phyllis and Stanley switched over their phones to voicemail and disappeared into the break room to trade lunches. Stanley enjoyed Phyllis' cookies while Phyllis munched on carrot sticks. They talked about the television program Stanley had watched on public television, a new restaurant Phyllis had tried with Bob Vance, a class that Stanley's daughter was taking during her senior year of high school and Phyllis' next knitting project. There were comfortable lulls in the conversation, a certain quiet that comes with being totally at ease with a person after time. When lunch was over, they worked in perfect synchronicity to clear away the relics of their lunch, Phyllis washing their dishes while Stanley threw away the trash and wiped off the table.

As per usual, the next two hours were full of work before they took their last break of the day at the same time. Stanley bought a package of crackers and split them evenly between the two of them while they nibbled at the water cooler. They traded war stories or complained about someone in the office while ignoring the fact that Dwight was not-so-secretly listening in. Then, they would head back to their desks and work until a few minutes before five.

When the day finally ended and their computers had been put to sleep for the night, Stanley walked out with Phyllis without saying a word. "Another day down," he mumbled like always in the elevator on the way down. "Like always," she inevitably agreed as they arrived on the main floor. He waited until she was in her car and waved as she passed by on her way out of the parking lot, following behind her until they reached the main road. They had survived another day together, and Stanley felt certain they would live to survive another.


End file.
